‘Dough Boy’ celebrates 30 years of coaching

Editor’s note: A version of this story was featured inside Winter in Aspen & Snowmass 2025-26, an annual magazine published by The Aspen Times. Find it on newsstands now or read the e-edition here.

Bumps, jumps, and aerials: Before flips and triple corks defined freestyle skiing, Eric “Dough Boy” Knight was carving the path down mogul courses for the next generation.

This season marks 30 years of Knight being a cornerstone of the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club (AVSC), as he has helped shape countless athletes’ lives through his coaching. Founded in 1937, AVSC is one of the nation’s oldest youth snow-sports programs, producing dozens of Olympians and X Games athletes.

“It’s an incredible milestone to celebrate Eric’s 30 years of dedication to the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club,” says AVSC Moguls Head Coach Mido Morimoto. “Over the past three decades, Eric has built and shaped the freestyle program into what it is today: One that not only competes at the international level, but also inspires young skiers who are just getting their first taste of freestyle skiing.”

Born in England and raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Knight didn’t discover snowsports until later in life. 

“I wasn’t really into it until I was about 17, when I got the bug and got into it,” he says. “Back in the late ’90s, freestyle skiing wasn’t even a thing — it was just moguls.”

Today, park and halfpipe skiing also fall under the freestyle umbrella.

Knight’s career took off after joining the British Ski Federation, thanks to his English birthright, and he soon competed on the World Cup circuit. His competitive years coincided with freestyle skiing’s rise in the Olympics: Moguls became a medal event in 1992, aerials followed, and other disciplines were added later.

His friend and former teammate, Greg Bright, now a snowcat driver for Aspen Snowmass, recalls what it was like arriving in a small town where life revolved around skiing.

“He and I were two mogul-skiing ski bums, Freestyle Friday guys,” Bright says. For decades, Freestyle Fridays was a weekly bump and jump contest at Aspen Highlands, and now the ski area gives it a nod through an annual event (see page 22). “He has taken that to the next level and passed it on.” 

Over his coaching career, Knight guided several athletes to Olympic medals, including two-time medalist and Aspen native Alex Ferreira, a standout whom Knight mentored early in the skier’s career.

“Being a part of Eric’s life has certainly shaped mine. If it weren’t for him, a lot of things wouldn’t have gone my way,” says Ferreira, who earned a silver and bronze medal, respectively, in halfpipe skiing at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics and returns to the Games in Italy.

“Eric’s impact runs deep. I was fortunate enough to have Eric as my coach, and I can say without hesitation that the way I ski — and the way I now coach — are directly influenced by the lessons I learned while training under him,” Morimoto adds. “His approach to the sport, his attention to detail, and his commitment to athlete development have left a lasting mark on me and so many others.”

Throughout Knight’s career at the ski club, he has seen more than a thousand young athletes walk through the doors. At least a dozen of them have risen through the AVSC program to reach the sport’s highest levels: competing as Olympians and earning X Games medals, while representing the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team.

“It’s been a real gift to see the personal development, friendships, achievements, and a passion for growth with some becoming the best skiers in the world,” Knight says.

He has engineered his way to futuristic thinking when it comes to the evolution of freestyle skiing. 

“At the beginning of my career with AVSC, I thought it was all about developing athletes and making champions, but, over the years, I have shifted more focus into installing our core values (of integrity, commitment, and teamwork), making great people first and great skiers/athletes second,” Knight says. 

Roaring Fork Valley native Jetzen O’Conner, now a coach at AVSC, credits Knight as a mentor from his own days as an athlete and now works alongside him.

“Eric has an awareness of what is required to excel at skiing, partially from his own personal experience and partially from his time at AVSC,” O’Conner says. “He knows how to encourage growth without putting aggressive pressure on you. It’s a perfect balance of drive and support.”

O’Conner’s words highlight not just Knight’s coaching style, but also the tangible results of his work: Athletes reaching the sport’s highest levels and a program that has become a proving ground for freestyle skiing.

“Eric is a very grounded guy with little ego,” says Knight’s wife, Aimee Sheeber Knight. “He has a calming presence, which makes young athletes feel at ease while teaching them everything there is to know about competitive skiing, as he competed himself at the highest level.”

How ‘Dough Boy’ arose

Knight earned the nickname “Dough Boy” back in junior high while playing pickup football; he couldn’t tackle one of the kids, and they dubbed him the “Pillsbury Doughboy.” The name stuck through the years, working at a pizza place, competing in pro ski events in Aspen, and even among teammates in England, who linked it to the American “doughboys” of World War I. Over time, the nickname became a playful nod to his love of pizza, his competitive success, and his international roots.

Newly-named AVSC Executive Director August Teague emphasizes the lasting impact Knight has had on the club and its athletes.

“The program speaks for itself. Whether we look at Alex’s (Ferreira) success or we go back to previous Olympians or X Games medalist success,” Teague says. “He’s done a wonderful job, not just building Olympians but building a culture around freestyle, whether that is park and pipe, or whether that is moguls.” 

Teague adds that Knight’s influence goes beyond athletic success.

“What they cherish most is his passion and his dedication to developing good people,” he says.

Beyond Knight’s coaching achievements, his quiet strength and consistency inspire colleagues and athletes alike.

“Eric’s stoicism speaks volumes, and it has allowed him to not only last but excel in his position the past 30 years. It’s extremely impressive, and I’ve pulled a lot of inspiration from him,” Ferreira says. 

“It’s a true privilege to now work alongside Eric, continuing to grow the mogul program together with a shared vision for what freestyle skiing can be,” Morimoto adds. “His leadership, consistency, and passion continue to set the standard for our community, and his legacy can be seen in every athlete who steps into the start gate with confidence and joy.”

After three decades of bumps and turns, both on the hill and off, Knight continues to shape the sport he helped pioneer, proving that true moguls aren’t just transient ones carved by athletes on the mountain: True moguls help form the athletes on the mountain.